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First Battle of the Somme: Quick Facts

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Facts

Date July 1, 1916 - November 13, 1916 (Ended on this day)
Location France
Participants France • Germany • United Kingdom
Context Western Front • World War I

Photos

Three soldiers in World War I uniforms and helmets operate a St. Etienne machine gun in a trench at the Somme.
Map of the Western Front during World War I from 1914 to 1918, showing northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and western Germany. Colored lines indicate the farthest German advance in September 1914, the front line at the beginning of 1915, German and Allied offensives, and the armistice line of 1918. Major cities such as Paris, Brussels, and Verdun, as well as key rivers and geographic features, are labeled.
A soldier in a trench looks toward a barren battlefield with shattered trees as a shell explodes in the distance during the Battle of the Somme in World War I.
Sir Douglas Haig
Somme, First Battle of the
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Timeline

French soldiers in uniform rest and eat on a grassy field behind the front lines during the Battle of Verdun in World War I, with gear and rifles stacked nearby.
Battle of Verdun
February 21, 1916 - December 18, 1916
Three soldiers in World War I uniforms and helmets operate a St. Etienne machine gun in a trench at the Somme.
First Battle of the Somme
July 1, 1916 - November 13, 1916
default image
Second Battle of the Somme
March 21, 1918 - April 5, 1918
Marne, Battle of the
Second Battle of the Marne
July 15, 1918 - July 18, 1918
World War I: Meuse-Argonne, battles of the
battles of the Meuse-Argonne
September 26, 1918 - November 11, 1918

Key People

Barker, William
William Barker
Canadian fighter pilot
Sir Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
British military leader

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